The Fairmont State University Department of Music will kick off its year-long Fairmont State Sesquicentennial Celebration at its Spring Gala at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in Colebank Hall.

Tickets are $10 for the general public; $5 for seniors (ages 65 and older) or faculty and staff; and free for all students. Tickets can be purchased by calling the FSU Box Office at (304) 367-4240 or at the door the night of the performance. A public reception precedes the concert at 7 p.m. in Colebank Hall.

The Fairmont State University Department of Music kicks off its new Music on the Hill Guest Artist Series with a performance this week.

Dr. Janice Haworth will present the first concert of the series at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in Wallman Hall Theatre. Her presentation will include photos and videos of life and music in Guinea, where she spent two years, as well as performances by FSU’s Percussion and World Percussion ensembles.

The Fairmont State University Academy for the Arts is accepting registrations for fall classes and private lessons in art, music and theatre. Classes and lessons begin the week of Sept. 2.

For schedules, dates, registration forms, prices and instructor information, click here or call Academy Director Leigh Anne Bolyard at (304) 333-3655. Find the Academy on Facebook at Fairmont State University Academy for the Arts.

The Fairmont State University Department of Music presented for its Spring Gala the cantata “Carmina Burana,” on Saturday, April 26. Performance included the Fairmont State Collegiate Singers, Community Chorus and Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Valarie Huffman. Also featured - the Chanticleer Children’s Chorus of West Virginia. The professional soloists for the concert were Mandy Spivak, tenor Alec Carlson and baritone Paul Kreider.

The Fairmont State University Department of Music will present for its Spring Gala the cantata “Carmina Burana,” on Saturday, April 26, performed by the Fairmont State Collegiate Singers, Community Chorus and Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Valarie Huffman. Also featured will be the Chanticleer Children’s Chorus of West Virginia. The professional soloists for the concert will be soprano Mandy Spivak, tenor Alec Carlson and baritone Paul Kreider.

Fairmont State University graduate student Rayme Pullen will give her Graduate Piano Recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in Wallman Hall Room 229. Pullen studied piano with Professor John Morrison in School of Fine Arts Department of Music.

A love of music and a gift for playing multiple instruments earned a Fairmont State University junior the opportunity to play with eight Nashville recording artists as part of the staff band of the Wheeling Jamboree.

Herbert Baker of Fairmont, the son of the late Chuck West and the late Paula Baker of Fairmont, graduated from East Fairmont High School in 2011.